Everton secured their first home win of the season in style after seeing off the challenge posed by Premier League champions Chelsea with a minimal amount of fuss.
Steven Naismith was the hero on the day for Everton after his wonderful ha ttrick from the bench guided the Toffees to a memorable win and the three points against the champions will now certainly help Roberto Martinez’s side to push on from their slow start.
Here is an analysis of the performance of the Everton players on the day –
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Player Rating |
Comment |
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Tim Howard – 6
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Tim Howard surprisingly did not have much to do throughout the course of the game and it was a comfortable outing for the American international. Could do nothing about Nemanja Matic’s thunderous strike though. |
| Seamus Coleman – 7.5
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Coleman was given the task of marking Eden Hazard and the defender certainly stuck to his task well. In addition, Coleman made an important contribution in attack and overall, it was a top quality performance from the Irishman. |
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Phil Jagielka – 7.5
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Phil Jagielka put in a strong display once again and his contribution was crucial in helping keep Diego Costa quiet throughout the course of the match. |
| John Stones – 7.5
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A lot of focus was on Stones ahead of the clash due to the speculation surrounding him with a move to Chelsea and it has to be said that the defender did remarkably well to deal with the pressure. Imperiously calm and composed on the ball, it is easy to see why Chelsea were so desperate to sign the defender over the summer. |
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Brendan Galloway – 7.5
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Galloway would certainly have been earmarked as the weak point by the Chelsea attackers ahead of the clash but it has to be said that the defender performed wonderfully well during the clash.
Galloway provided a fine cross for Naismith for the first goal and it was a wonderful performance overall from the young man. |
| Gareth Barry – 7
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Cool and calm on the ball, it was another solid performance from Barry on the day. |
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Muhamed Besic – NA
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Muhamed Besic was subbed off after only nine minutes into the game but his injury proved to be a blessing in disguise for Everton. |
| James McCarthy – 7
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Alongside Barry, James McCarthy kept things ticking on for Everton at the middle of the park and it was a top quality performance overall from the Irishman. |
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Ross Barkley – 7.5
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Ross Barkley has looked in sensational form so far this season and he continued his fine run with another top quality performance.
Barkley ran the show from midfield and his numerous crosses as well as shots was a constant headache to deal with for the Chelsea backline. |
| Arouna Kone – 6
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Kone displayed a couple of nice touches during the course of the game but his finishing left a lot to be desired of. |
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Romelu Lukaku – 7
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Romelu Lukaku seemed desperate to get on the scoresheet against his former club and while he was not successful, the Belgian international played a key role in Everton’s victory by doing a great job of leading the line on his own. |
Substitues
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Steven Naismith – 9
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Naismith came on as a 9th minute substitute for the injured Muhamed Besic and managed to steal the show with his performance.
The Scotsman looked determined to make a mark after a frustrating start to the campaign and he certainly did so by scoring a fantastic hattrick, where all of his goals looked better than the last one. |
| Aaron Lennon – 7
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Lennon came on during the final 15 minutes of the game against a tiring Chelsea side and had a role in Naismith’s third goal. |
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Ramiro Funes Mori – 6.5
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Made his debut for Everton as a late substitute and showed some promising touches on the ball. |
